


Red Knight and Magic Man

by thecheekydragon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Modern AU, POV Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-06-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 06:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecheekydragon/pseuds/thecheekydragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A.J. Pendragon tries to sort out his feelings for Merlin.  Sometimes he couldn't stand the guy, but there were other times...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Knight and Magic Man

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ on August 07, 2010.
> 
> More housekeeping.

Red Knight and Sir Leon were battling fiercely, trying to clear the path for Lady G. Magic Man was casting spells relentlessly in an effort to keep the beasts conjured by Warlock Xtreme from attacking any of them. 

Lady G was finally climbing the tower, her sights focused on the crystal. It was almost in reach. Suddenly, a great black dragon swooped down, breathing out a flame of fire which sent Lady G hurling to the ground, the crystal now lost to her.

magicman: wtf?

sirleon: i know – came out of nowhere

ladyg: i need resurrecting!

magicman: done

redknight: one of them must be a dragon lord

sirleon: prbly oblain – he’s shady

ladyg: shady? how would u know?

redknight: whatever – mm has to find a spell to take it out or we’ll never get that crystal

magicman: copy that 

Lance poked his head inside his bedroom door, interrupting his IM-ing.

“We’re gonna meet Merlin at the Castle Club at ten, so you might wanna get off your game and start getting ready.”

A.J. rolled his eyes. “ _Merlin’s_ coming?”

“Yes, Merlin’s coming. He always comes to the Club with us.” Lance winked at him. “You’d think you’d catch onto that by now.”

A.J. typed a sign-off to let his teammates know he would join them tomorrow for another try at grabbing the crystal. The “game” Lance had referred to was an online team role playing game called _Knights & Dragons_. Red Knight was the gamer name of Arthur James – ‘A.J.’ as he preferred to be called – Pendragon, and he was a member of a four-player team that consisted also of Sir Leon, Lady G, and Magic Man. As a team, they participated in various challenges, duels, and other adventures. Their current challenge was to obtain a powerful crystal that was kept in a castle tower, guarded and defended by other teams’ players such as Warlock Xtreme and Oblain. 

This had been their first attempt at getting the crystal and A.J. was confident that they would be able to do it in just a few tries, given the skills that each of his teammates possessed. As Red Knight, A.J. was a fierce warrior and the team’s unofficial leader. Sir Leon was a skilful swordsman and dueller. Lady G was amazing at solving puzzles that were often part of the game play and was usually the member sent to retrieve objects like the crystal. Magic Man was their ace in the hole, a magnificent sorcerer who had the ability to cast various spells and the power to resurrect his teammates. He had a reputation in this particular game world as a formidable, next-to-impossible-to-beat player and he was the member the team relied on most to get them through the challenges victoriously. 

Usually, the four of them played as a team, though there were times when only two of them played together – the minimum in this team-oriented online game. Although A.J. enjoyed playing with all of them, he especially liked teaming up with Magic Man. Sometimes when only he and Magic Man were available, they would pair up and play challenges and usually ended up victorious, adding to their team’s overall game points. 

A.J. didn’t know much about Magic Man beyond what was minimally listed in his gamer profile – male, in his early twenties, living in the UK. But he found that they played well together, strangely able to anticipate each other’s moves and lines of thinking, often without having to communicate via the game’s IM feature. Red Knight had a good rapport with Sir Leon and Lady G too, but A.J. felt most comfortable with Magic Man.

As he showered, A.J. thought about the night ahead. He and his flatmates, Lance and Morgan, were going to the Castle Club, which was usually a fun time. Merlin was also going, which put a slight kink into the nook of things as far as A.J. was concerned. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Merlin, it was just that...

A.J., Lance, and Morgan had grown up together and had been best friends since their kindergarten years. They were now all in university and shared a three-bedroom flat that A.J. had purchased using some of the trust fund money allotted to him. Merlin was also a friend, although A.J. considered him more Lance and Morgan’s friend than his own simply because he and Merlin had always had a somewhat tenuous relationship right from the get-go.

Merlin had come to Camelot City during the sixth grade. Almost immediately, Lance and Morgan had welcomed Merlin into their close-knit group of three, but A.J. had remained reluctant to extend complete welcome to the ‘outsider’. He had told himself, of course, that it was because Merlin didn’t seem to have much in common with him and that was partly true. But, the real reason A.J. had never been able to wholeheartedly embrace Merlin into their threesome had to do with another matter that A.J. had resisted dealing with for many years now.

It had to do with the tingle that crept up inside him whenever Merlin was around. 

A.J. remembered the first time he had felt that tingle. _He had been thirteen. The four of them had been walking home from school and had cut across the park, as they often did, until they reached the other side – and A.J., Lance and Morgan would head home to the east while Merlin would go home west._

_It had become A.J.’s habit to tease Merlin mercilessly, and this particular day had been no exception. A.J. had been flicking pebbles at Merlin’s back as they walked, just to annoy and to get a rise out of him._

_“Cut it_ out, _Pendragon!” Merlin had complained and A.J. had retorted, “Come on, Merlin, don’t be such a_ girl.” __

_To add fuel to an already burning fire, A.J. had snuck up behind Merlin and had cuffed the back of his head, messing his hair royally. Merlin had grunted in disgust, but then had taken A.J. completely by surprise when he had turned on him and had tackled A.J. to the ground._

_“I_ said _cut it out!” Merlin expressed, his blue eyes flashing with anger._

_A.J. was by far the better athlete and had easily been able to get the upper hand. He had pinned Merlin to the grass and had straddled his hips, glaring down at him with victory. “Oooh, whatcha gonna do now, Merlin?” he had taunted._

_“Leave him alone, A.J.” Lance had told him, taking up Merlin’s side as he often did._

_But A.J. hadn’t taken Lance’s advice. Instead, he had continued to sit on Merlin, his face set with challenging determination. Merlin had glared back, defiant._

_And then something had stirred in A.J. – a tingling that had started in his stomach and then had spread through his pelvis. It was a feeling that, at the time, he hadn’t been able to identify, but that he had come to know was arousal, desire. A.J. thought he had seen a flicker of surprise in Merlin’s eyes for a split second before he had jumped up off of him, and had declared, “You’re so pathetic, Merlin. I’m outta here!”_

_A.J. had quickly headed home, trying to make sense of the sensation he had felt when he was on top of Merlin, feeling very confused._

_After that, the tingling sensation would come quite often whenever he was around Merlin, which increasingly made A.J. uncomfortable. And, to further his discomfort, A.J. had found that Merlin suddenly and quite frequently became the star in his pubescent wet dreams._

Ever since the tingling started, A.J. had done whatever he could to minimize any contact with Merlin that would cause him to be uncomfortable, but this was often hard given that Lance and Morgan, his two best friends, tried to include Merlin in everything they did. So, A.J. had learned to simply grin and bear it, and to suppress the feelings that tended to crop up inside him whenever Merlin was around. 

~*~*~*~

“There’s Merlin,” Morgan pointed out, gesturing toward the bar. 

The three of them crossed over to join him. Merlin, as usual, looked sharp and A.J. couldn’t help noticing that the hue of Merlin’s shirt matched fantastically with the brilliance of his blue eyes. 

“Hey,” Merlin greeted them. He gave Lance and Morgan a big smile and flicked a quick acknowledging glance at A.J. 

To be fair, A.J. never really knew how to take Merlin. He could be openly friendly some of the time, but the looks he gave A.J. were often guarded, shy, sometimes hostile, and even occasionally a bit fearful. A.J. couldn’t totally blame him. He supposed Merlin didn’t know how to take him either. 

They ordered drinks and then found a spot to settle. Lance and Morgan went off to scout for girls, leaving A.J. to keep guard of their spot and to scout from sitting position. (This was the usual arrangement, as they had found A.J. could attract interested parties just sitting alone, sipping his drink.) Merlin, as was usual, went off to shake his booty.

About forty-five minutes later, Morgan came back around to the table.

“Somebody should keep an eye on Merlin,” he advised.

A.J. looked up from his recently served drink. “Why? He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

Morgan shrugged. “You know he has a habit of talking up girls who just so happen to have big, nasty boyfriend wannabes.”

“Maybe he’s trying to hook those wannabes for himself,” A.J. commented.

Morgan cocked an eyebrow at him. “There are plenty of guys eyeing him up already,” he said, then, “Just keep a look out for him, A.J., so he doesn’t get into too much trouble.”

A.J. sighed. It was not his job to look after Merlin. This was one of the reasons why he hated when Merlin came to the Club with them. Somehow, A.J. always ended up being on “look out for Merlin” duty. Another reason, of course, was that Merlin had a tendency to chat up girls who batted doe eyes at him, and a further reason still was that Merlin could easily attract the attention of guys who wanted to do more to him than bat their eyelashes. 

Merlin was on the dance floor now with three pretty girls who were all smiles and giggles. A.J. had to appreciate that Merlin was a great dancer, even if this style of music wasn’t normally what Merlin was into. A.J. couldn’t help noticing that he wasn’t the only one appreciating Merlin’s dancing ability. The way his lithe body moved in an almost sensuous, teasing rhythm in concert with the beat of the music was catching the attention of a few admirers from the sidelines. One of them – an athletic-looking chap with short wavy brown hair – was staring at Merlin outright and even from where he sat, A.J. could see the lust in those unmoving eyes. A.J. ground his teeth and tossed back half of his drink.

He forced himself to sip the second half of his drink while he surveyed the crowd, keeping half an eye on Merlin, who continued to enjoy himself on the dance floor. At some point, the admirer joined the girls and Merlin, and A.J. knocked back the remainder of his drink.

He could feel something beginning to stir within him, hot and unnerving. A.J. looked away, forcing himself to focus anywhere but the dance floor. He needed to calm his nerves, to soothe the rising tumult. A.J. took some long, deep breaths, targeting his attention toward the bar and on the patrons crowded there. 

When he returned his gaze to the dance floor, Merlin was no longer in his sights. The three girls and the admirer were gone also. A.J. decided he wouldn’t worry about it. He was not Merlin’s keeper. Still feeling unsettled, though, he went to the bar and bummed a smoke from the bartender, grabbing a book of matches. He headed outside, around to the back where it was generally dark and he knew it was unlikely he’d be spotted by Lance or Morgan. They hated when he smoked, even if A.J. did it only once or twice a bloody year.

In the darkness behind the building, A.J. discovered it was not completely deserted. Two others were there, so involved in snogging each other’s face off that they were oblivious to his arrival. One of them suddenly knelt and A.J. caught a glimpse of a familiar face lit up by the moonlight – Merlin. A.J. quickly ducked into a dark recess. So this is where Merlin had disappeared.

A.J. peeked around hesitantly, making sure he was shrouded by darkness and hidden from view. He could just make out Merlin’s lanky form against the wall of the building, his head tilted back. Another man – probably the dance floor admirer – was positioned between Merlin’s legs, his head at crotch level. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were doing.

A.J. squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again, torn between not wanting to look and desperately desiring to watch Merlin getting a blow job in action. He focused on Merlin’s face, which was just visible from the glow cast by the moon, and avoided looking down at the source of the action which, thankfully, consisted mostly of blurred silhouettes and movement.

He watched Merlin’s face as it contorted into various expressions of arousal and ecstasy. His lips were parted, his jaw slack. As the pace of the ‘action’ increased, he saw Merlin’s jaw drop further, his lips part wider, in response to the sensations of having his cock sucked. A.J. imagined he could hear the sound of Merlin’s breathing quickening, becoming raspy. A.J. rubbed his own cock through his jeans when he heard the faint sound of moaning coming from Merlin’s lips.

Merlin’s face suddenly twisted into a wince of pleasure, indicating he had reached orgasm. A.J. closed his eyes for a minute to imagine what it might be like to pleasure Merlin with his mouth and to have Merlin come down his throat. Then he reopened them. 

Merlin pushed the guy back, pulled up his jeans, buttoned and zipped them. Apparently – and A.J. was thankful for this - there was going to be no reciprocation as Merlin and his admirer trotted back to the entrance of the club. A.J. slunk back further into the darkness as they passed.

When he was alone, A.J lit up. He smoked languorously, not wanting to go back into the club any time soon. He needed to quell his arousal as well as calm his nerves now. As he smoked, he thought about another time he had caught Merlin in the midst of doing something naughty.

_It had been at Sophia’s sixteenth birthday party. Just about everyone Sophia knew had been invited to her bash, which was being held along the river at the edge of her family’s enormous property._

_A.J. had had to take a leak and so he ventured into a wooded area that would afford relative privacy. He had seen a few couples go hand in hand into the woods, but figured they’d have gone in more deeply than he needed to do his business. When he had come upon a spot that seemed like a good one, he had been distracted by soft noises just beyond. A.J. had idly sleuthed and had discovered Merlin in the middle of snogging some tawny-haired guy._

_A.J. remembered how Merlin had had his back up against a tree with the other guy’s mouth locked onto his, his hand cupping Merlin’s crotch, playing with him through the fabric of his shorts. A.J. had recognized the guy as Sophia’s cousin Andy – a senior undergraduate at university – who was five or six years older than Merlin._

_A.J. had relieved himself and then had unceremoniously interrupted the snogging by calling out, “Hey, Andy! There you are! Sophia is looking for you.” Andy had pulled his mouth from Merlin’s, tossing A.J. an angry scowl._

_“Fuck off, Pendragon, I’m busy,” Andy had told him, returning his lips to Merlin’s youth-eager ones._

_“Yeah, well, you might want to reconsider that,” A.J. had retorted. “Unless you want me to go and collect a few friends to help you change your mind.”_

_Andy had weighed the consequences and then had decided that the best course of action was to remove his lips from Merlin and to rejoin the party, giving A.J. a challenging, menacing stare as he brushed roughly past._

_“What did you do that for?” Merlin had spat at him, livid. “I was having fun!”_

_“He’s older than you, Merlin,” A.J. had responded._

_“So what?” Merlin had barked. “You’re older than me.”_

_A.J. had looked hard at Merlin. “He’s twenty-one, Merlin. You’re fifteen.”_

_“Maybe I like older guys,” Merlin had said. He stomped off back to the river party, flinging over his shoulder, “Just stay away from me, Pendragon.”_

_Later that evening, A.J. had caught Andy hinting to Merlin to resume their previous activities with a gesture of his head toward the woods again, but Merlin had turned him down with a shake of his head, and A.J. had felt quite smugly pleased by that._

Merlin was with Lance and Morgan when A.J. returned to their spot in the Club. He could barely look at Merlin, having just witnessed the tantalizing scene out back that had culminated in Merlin coming at the hands of some lustful admirer.

Merlin was cheery as hell and no wonder, A.J. thought. He scowled at Merlin, suddenly wanting to wipe that sickeningly cheery smirk off his face. 

“What?” Merlin wondered and A.J. felt a headache coming on. 

“I’m going,” he announced to his friends and Merlin. 

Lance gave him a quizzical look. “Already?”

“Got a headache,” A.J. said, pointing to his head. 

“Alright,” Lance said. “You want us to come with?”

“Nah,” A.J. told him. “Stay. You guys are having a good time.”

A.J. felt Merlin’s eyes on him and he purposely avoiding looking at him as he smiled at Morgan and Lance and then left. Outside, he caught a taxicab and was back at the flat in less than ten minutes. 

He thought about logging onto K & D for a bit but then decided to just go to bed. Besides, there was something he needed to do before he burst.

A.J. lay naked in his bed, stroking himself, thinking about the way Merlin looked when he moved to the rhythm of the dance music, the look on his face when his cock was being sucked, and the expression and noises he made when he came. It didn’t take long for A.J. to become long and hard just thinking about these things – it never did – and he wanked fast and hard to bring himself off quickly. He came with a small cry and a spurt, feeling the warm stickiness of his eruption flow over his hand. He reached for a handful of tissues and wiped himself, then curled up and went to sleep.

~*~*~*~

Sometimes, they IM-ed for a bit after a challenge, just the two of them, once Lady G and Sir Leon had logged off.

redknight: you got a girl, mm?

magicman: no

redknight: ? 

magicman: i kinda have a thing for this guy...

redknight: oh?

magicman: he hates me

redknight: *laughs* what makes u think he hates u?

magicman: seems like he can’t stand to be around me 

magicman: and he isn’t very nice 

redknight: why do u like him so much if he treats u like that?

magicman: idk

redknight: ?

redknight: ?

magicman: i just always thought it was somehow meant to be, ya know? pretty stupid, right?

A.J. was thinking how he often felt about Merlin. One minute he couldn’t stand to be near the guy and the next he actually believed that they were somehow fated to be together. Now _that_ was pretty stupid.

redknight: nah, i totally get how you feel, mate

magicman: yeah?

redknight: yeah

magicman: i should prbly just forget him, huh?

A.J. wanted to tell Magic Man to stop pining over this guy who was quite obviously an oblivious prat but it was hard to give advice to someone when you couldn’t let go yourself.

redknight: prbly

magicman: yeah..

At least A.J. had learned something about Magic Man. He had a thing for a guy who didn’t seem to have a thing for him back. It seemed that Red Knight and Magic Man had even more in common than A.J. had thought.

~*~*~*~

A.J. and Merlin had only one class together – sociology. For a variety of reasons A.J. had made a point right from the start not to get too chummy with Merlin, even though they hadn’t known anyone but each other the first few weeks of classes. In fact, he would purposely arrive late or just on time to lecture so that he could avoid – or at least explain away – taking up the seat Merlin always saved for him. And if he happened to catch Merlin’s glance later on, he was able to shrug and gesture as though to say, ‘I didn’t see you there’ or ‘I was late so I took a seat at the back.’

A.J. admitted his strategy was pure defence mechanism. He just wasn’t sure if he could handle sitting that close to Merlin for the better part of two hours – and listen and take notes that would be good enough to enable him to actually pass the course.

But, A.J. had started to notice that the seat Merlin usually saved for him, though A.J. continued to leave it unoccupied, had lately been taken up by a fair looking fellow with ginger hair and a lightly freckled complexion. In fact, this fellow had sat in ‘his’ seat the past four or five classes. And Merlin had not seemed too displeased to give the seat up, flashing ginger-boy an over-friendly and rather charming smile. 

A.J. felt it was probably time to put a stop to that.

So, today, he arrived earlier than usual, easily spotting Merlin, and plunked down in the seat beside him. 

Merlin raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Hey,” he said with a mixture of nonchalance and guarded caution.

A.J. forced a wide grin at him. “Hey.”

Two minutes later, Ginger-Boy came up the aisle expecting to take the seat next to Merlin and looked rather caught by surprise to find A.J. there. He tossed a questioningly look at Merlin who gestured a shrug at A.J. in response. As the other seat next to Merlin was also taken, Ginger-Boy moved to the next row and found a seat there.

A.J. pretended not to hear Merlin sigh. He knew he was purposely being a jerk but he told himself that if Ginger-Boy was serious enough about staking a claim on Merlin, then he would have to try way harder than that. A.J. was doing Merlin a favour, really, guarding him against those interested but who didn’t have the balls to put in more effort to score with him. 

This wasn’t the first time A.J. had ‘sabotaged’ potential hook-ups for Merlin. _In high school, there had been this guy, a senior, who had expressed unhealthy interest – at least from A.J.’s point of view - in Merlin, who had just begun his second year. A.J. had teased Merlin relentlessly and had spread rumours around the school so that it would have been completely awkward for any kind of hook up to happen. And whenever a girl had expressed interest in Merlin, A.J. had made sure to head that off at the pass by telling her Merlin was only interested in guys. Most girls had pretty much stayed away from him after that._

A.J. could admit he had been a total prick by pretty much ruining Merlin’s love life during high school and had told himself then that he had only been playing the teasing prat, but A.J. knew the truth as certainly as he did now – he just couldn’t stand the thought of anyone getting close to Merlin.

Ten minutes into the lecture, A.J. knew he had made a bad decision. Not because he had diverted Ginger-Boy away from the score-zone – A.J. saw that he and Merlin kept exchanging glances from their respective seats and he mentally threw his textbook at Ginger-Boy’s face – but because A.J. was finding it very hard to concentrate with Merlin so close beside him. He was just so _aware_ of Merlin - the rise and fall of his breathing, the way his fingers closed around the pen he was using, the way his hand moved as he took notes, the closeness of his arm on the desk beside him.

Several times, as he shifted in his seat to get more comfortable, Merlin’s leg accidentally brushed against his and A.J. had to hold his breath for fear he would murmur something ridiculously embarrassing. 

He stared down at his page. He had taken notes but it was pure gibberish. He hadn’t heard a thing the professor had been saying, couldn’t even write properly. His plan had completely backfired and now A.J. needed to get himself out of it before he drowned.

So, about halfway through the lecture, A.J. promptly got up and left without so much as a ‘See ya’ tossed in Merlin’s direction. He could feel Merlin’s questioning eyes on him, but A.J. avoided looking at him, afraid his own eyes would give away too much. No doubt the ginger-haired suitor would eagerly take up the vacated seat but A.J. didn’t care anymore. He needed to put some physical distance between himself and Merlin before he lost control of his senses completely.

Once outside, he blew out a breath and cursed himself for acting so ridiculously stupid. What did it matter if some guy was interested in Merlin? It was not as though A.J. had or intended to have any claim on him. Merlin could damn well do as he pleased with whomever he pleased.

But, even as he tried to convince himself of this, A.J. knew he’d do something just as stupid again because that tingling he felt when he was around Merlin was not likely to go away any time soon.

~*~*~*~*

Lance, Morgan, and A.J. kicked around the ball while Merlin sat on the sidelines watching. This wasn’t unusual. Merlin pretty much always sat it out, letting his buddies do their thing. A.J., Lance, and Morgan had played competitive football in high school and had been the school team’s best players; Merlin had been their unofficial rally leader and taunter extraordinaire. The four of them generally thought this worked out pretty well.

A group of five chaps soon joined them in the park, also kicking a ball around. One of them finally came up to their threesome.

“I’m Oren,” the guy said and quickly introduced his pals. “You mates wanna play some?”

“Sure,” Lance said.

“Okay. So, us five against you....?” Oren looked around at the three of them.

“Four,” A.J. responded. He jerked his head toward Merlin. “He’ll play.”

Merlin looked like he wanted to protest, but Morgan said encouraging, “Yeah, Merlin’ll play.” 

Morgan took up his usual position as goal-keeper, while Lance, A.J. and Merlin played both offence and defence positions. The others had the advantage of four players out but it didn’t really matter. It was just a friendly, spontaneous, recreational game in the park on a sunny fall weekend afternoon.

Lance and A.J. were used to playing with and off each other, but they made sure to include Merlin in the play. Merlin was actually quite a fair player but he lacked confidence in his game play, which opponents were quick to spot and then take advantage of. And take advantage was what these blokes were doing now – targeting the weak link with the added advantage of an extra player, double-teaming against Merlin as soon as he gained possession of the ball.

To his credit, Merlin successfully fended off the double-team but ended up losing the ball each time. This was a friendly game not a competition so A.J. let it go, but when the two blokes started double-teaming Merlin when he didn’t even have the ball, A.J. had had enough.

He charged at one of the blokes who had just knocked Merlin to the ground.

“Back off!” he asserted, pushing against the bloke’s chest with enough force to make the fellow rock back on his heels.

“It’s ok, A.J.,” he heard Merlin say from behind him. “I got this.”

But A.J. wasn’t in the mood to listen. He glared at all five of the blokes who had now gathered together. 

“Listen, mate,” the fellow Oren said. “It’s just a friendly game here. No harm intended.”

A.J. focused his glare on Oren. “Yeah, it would be a friendly game if the hounds,” he jerked his head at the two blokes who had knocked Merlin down, “stopped targeting our weak spot. You’ve already got the advantage with the extra player. There’s no need to go after the one it’s obvious can’t play.”

“A.J.,” Lance said, his tone admonishing. 

“Hey, you’re the one who pulled him into the game,” Oren reminded. 

“Because we needed him to balance things out,” A.J. retorted, “not to bring us down.”

Morgan had helped Merlin to his feet. “They’re just playing good offence....” he attempted to butt in.

A.J. threw a quick glance at him. “Stay out of it, Merlin,” he told him, his tone a little harsher than he had intended. He was worked up.

“Fine,” Merlin said, and walked away.

A.J. jogged after him. “Where are you going?” he asked Merlin. “We still need you to play.”

“Forget it, Pendragon,” Merlin said. “I don’t want to bring you down by being the weak link.” Merlin continued to walk away, nodding at Lance and Morgan. “Catch you later.”

“Merlin...” A.J. started but then stopped. If Merlin wanted to be all sulky about this, then he’d let him. It wasn’t his fault Merlin had taken things the wrong way.

He hadn’t meant to hurt Merlin’s feelings. He had merely acted on instinct. An instinct A.J. had developed years ago. As he watched Merlin walk away from him, A.J. thought about another time this instinct had kicked in.

_It was after a game that A.J. had caught a rival school bully in the middle of targeting Merlin for a pummelling. Not that it hadn’t been somewhat warranted – Merlin was a Class A Taunter and had outdone himself during the game. “Let him go,” A.J. had ordered and the bully had laughed. “Let him go,” A.J. had repeated, “unless you want me and my teammates to take turns kicking the crap out of you.” The bully had sized him up and then apparently deciding Merlin was not worth the effort of having to potentially fight off several footballers, he had let go of Merlin and had sauntered off._

_“Thanks, A.J.,” Merlin had said with actual gratitude and A.J. had responded harshly with, “You need to learn to keep your mouth shut, Merlin.”_

_Two things had stood out for A.J. about that incident. It was one of the few times Merlin had called him “A.J.” instead of “Pendragon” as he usually did, which might have suggested to an outsider that the two of them were actually ‘friends’. And it was one of many times to come that he had felt fiercely protective of Merlin, which at the time, A.J. had had no idea what that suggested._

_He had told himself that he would have stepped up had it been anyone caught in the bully’s sights on the simple point that the bully was from a rival school, but A.J. had known that he very likely would not have, at least not without having been backed up by Lance and Morgan. But as soon as he had seen it was Merlin, he had acted without even thinking, his only goal having been to save Merlin from a certain beating._

It was that protective instinct that had made A.J. get up into those chaps’ faces just now, even though he knew Merlin could handle himself. He had acted on instinct, without thinking, and now Merlin was pissed because he thought A.J. believed he was a rotten player, their weak link, a liability.

“You lost one of your mates, mate,” Oren said as A.J. sauntered back to the group. “You still wanna play?”

A.J. considered showing these blokes up by taking them down with just the three of them, but he had suddenly lost his competitive spirit. “I think we’ll pass,” he replied, glancing at Lance and Morgan, who nodded in agreement.

As the group of five prowled the park for other game takers, Lance fiddled with their own ball. He looked at A.J. and said finally, “You gotta stop doing that.”

“Do what?” A.J. asked innocently, though he had a pretty good idea what Lance was talking about.

“Dissing Merlin like that,” Lance replied. “It’s not fair, A.J. and you know it.”

“I was just looking out for him,” A.J. asserted like a petulant child, “like you two are always telling me to do.”

“Going into protective mode is one thing,” Lance said. “But ‘weak spot’, A.J.? ‘Can’t play’? That wasn’t very nice.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame Merlin for leaving,” Morgan added.

A.J. rolled his eyes. “It’s not my fault his feelings get hurt easily,” he returned. “Merlin needs to stop being such a girl and get over it. He knows I’m a royal prick. Come on, let’s just play.”

Lance tossed the ball onto the ground at A.J.’s feet. “Okay,” he said congenially, gesturing toward Morgan. “How ‘bout the two of us against you.”

“Fair enough,” A.J. said, smiling.

~*~*~*~

magicman: so i’m trying to let go of this thing i have for this guy

redknight: good for u 

magicman: he’s never gonna like me

redknight: time to move on then 

magicman: yeah

redknight: anyone on the radar?

magicman: one or two

redknight: good 

A.J. was glad that Magic Man had decided to try and let his feelings for this unattainable jerk go and to move on to someone who would like and appreciate him. He knew he should probably do the same as far as his feelings for Merlin went, but A.J. wasn’t quite ready to face up to the idea that he actually _had_ feelings for Merlin in the first place, so letting them go was completely beside the point.

magicman: u got somebody rk?

redknight: still on the prowl

magicman: nice

redknight: yeah

~*~*~*~ 

“You invited _Merlin_ over?”

Lance smiled. “Course I did. And just so you know, he might bring a friend to watch the footy game.”

“Girl or guy?” A.J. asked unkindly, blatantly ignoring Lance’s obviously directed comment, as if it would matter to A.J. that Merlin was bringing a “friend” along.

Lance gave him a look. “Does it matter? Just be nice, A.J. For a change.”

Merlin did bring a ‘friend’ to watch the game – Ginger-Boy from their sociology class whose name turned out to be Cal. 

_Cal_ expressed a look of alarm when Merlin introduced him to A.J. No doubt he recognized him as the jerk who had stolen his seat. A.J. gave Cal a tight smile. Lance and Morgan quickly stepped up to welcome Cal into the fold, handing both he and Merlin cans of cold cider.

As the five of them drank ciders and watched the game, A.J. couldn’t help notice the easy closeness between Merlin and Cal and wondered if they were dating....or screwing. He was having a difficult time concentrating on the game, too busy keeping tabs on the way Cal glanced at Merlin, or the way their legs were pressed together as they sat on the couch, or how Merlin’s eyes sparkled when he laughed at something Cal said. A.J.’s insides simmered.

When Merlin got up to get another round of ciders for himself and Cal, A.J. followed him to the kitchen.

Merlin was closing the fridge door, ciders in hand. When he saw A.J., he handed him one of the cans of cider. A.J. took it from him and then backed Merlin up against the refrigerator.

“What the fuck,” Merlin complained, squirming beneath A.J.’s firm hold. “What’s your problem?”

“No problem,” A.J. said and it sounded menacing even to him. “I’m just wondering if this guy you’ve brought over is like your boyfriend or just some guy you plan to fuck.”

Merlin pulled a face that was somewhere between quizzical and annoyed. “What the hell is it to you anyway?” Merlin wondered and then challenged, “And how do you know I haven’t fucked him already?”

A.J. narrowed his eyes at Merlin. “Don’t play with me, Merlin. It’s okay for Lance and Morgan to invite you over, but this is technically my flat. And I don’t want you bringing your one-nighters over here.”

“Fuck off, Pendragon,” Merlin said, malice and defiance in his eyes. “What? You gonna spill a can of cider all over the front of my shirt now, just for old times sake?”

A.J. knew exactly to what Merlin was referring and the memory was quickly called to mind.

_It had been the spring formal dance in their last year. A.J., Lance and Morgan had all had dates – pretty cheerleaders, a blonde for Morgan, a redhead for Lance, and a brunette for A.J. Merlin did not have a date but he had come to the dance anyway. A.J. remembered how he had felt seeing Merlin show up in his formal wear. Out of the four of them, Merlin had looked the most handsome, had been the most stunning._

_A.J. had gotten that familiar tingle in his stomach and pelvis, had felt the weakness starting in his knees. But he had soon noticed that Merlin was having an effect on more than just him. Appreciative glances were being cast his way from both guys and girls alike and it had made something hot and ugly boil up within him._

_When he had seen Merlin headed for the punch bowl, A.J. had followed. “Nice suit,” he had said to Merlin as disingenuously as possible and Merlin had looked at him warily. “Couldn’t get a date?” A.J. had sneered and Merlin had simply responded, “Didn’t ask.”_

_When a couple approached the punch bowl, A.J. had seized his opportunity. With an over-zealous lurch forward as if he had been bumped from behind, he had dumped the full contents of his punch glass all over Merlin’s crisp, white, fantastic dress shirt._

_Merlin had looked dumbfounded, then horrified, then angry, then at last utterly hurt. He had excused himself under the pretence of changing shirts, had left the dance, and had never come back._

_A.J. had felt guilty upon seeing that look of hurt in Merlin’s beautiful blue eyes, and even more so when Merlin did not return to the dance, but he had told himself that he had saved Merlin from a disappointing evening and, of course, he had saved himself from having to endure seeing anyone getting too close or possibly coming on to Merlin._

A.J. eased his grip on Merlin and stared at him long and hard until he felt Merlin flinch slightly. Then he turned and left the kitchen, heading for his room, choosing to ignore the looks Lance and Morgan were giving him.

A.J. went to his room and logged onto _Knights & Dragons_, hoping Magic Man was online so he could vent some of his frustrations through some game-playing. He wasn’t. His teammates Lady G and Sir Leon were involved in a paired battle and A.J. considered joining them, but he suddenly didn’t feel like doing much of anything but sleep. So, he changed into his sleep pants and retired to bed. 

He lay there, staring up at the ceiling, a gamut of emotions running through his body. He could hear the sounds of laughter coming from the living room and wondered if Merlin was having a good time with his ‘friend’ now that A.J. had disappeared from the group.

A.J. marvelled at the easy way Merlin could push his buttons without seeming to even try. He had always been able to do that. A.J. knew he should learn to keep his emotions better in check, but sometimes he couldn’t help nipping at the bait, even if Merlin had no idea he had even cast one out.

He fell asleep and dreamt of Merlin, awaking in the middle of the night to find himself and his sheets coated with warm stickiness. Christ, he cursed, thoroughly annoyed. He hadn’t had a wet dream since he was thirteen! 

A.J. rolled out of bed, stripped off the sheets, and replaced them with fresh ones. As he settled back into bed, he decided he would get up early and do his laundry before Lance and Morgan had a chance to wonder why his sheets were soiled.

~*~*~*~* 

redknight: so where in the uk r u from?

magicman: middle of nowhere

redknight: lol

magicman: i’m at uni right now

redknight: oh yeah where?

magicman: albion u

redknight: no effin way me too!

magicman: small world 

redknight: yeah

magicman: we should hook up

redknight: yeah we can strategize in person lol

magicman: srsly, you wanna?

redknight: sure

A.J. thought it would be fun to meet up with Magic Man. How bizarre was it that both of them went to Albion U? He would love to find out what kind of guy Magic Man was, especially since they got on so well during online game playing and IM-ing. A.J. began envisioning all sorts of chaps, from the stereotypical nerd to the quiet braniac.

So, they made plans to meet. A.J. was so excited, that he told Lance about it that evening.

“So you’re going meet the infamous Magic Man, are you?” Lance said, a grin playing at his lips. Lance always thought A.J. spent too much time online playing games, but he seemed amused by it. 

“Yep,” A.J. said. “I’ll let you know what he’s like.”

“Can’t wait,” Lance replied, his grin still evident.

~*~*~*~*~

A.J. had never been to any of the residences before. Merlin actually lived in one – he didn’t know which building – but A.J. had always declined whenever Lance and Morgan went to visit or hang out with him.

He found the building Magic Man had told him and, with nervous anticipation, he knocked on the door numbered forty-two. A.J. couldn’t have been more surprised when Merlin, looking fresh from the shower but dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt, opened the door.

“What are you doing here?” A.J. asked, not quite ready to catch up to the obvious.

“Uh, I live here,” Merlin told him, his own face showing bewildered alarm.

“You live here?” A.J. questioned, still not willing to face the unfathomable but likely possibility that was surfacing in his head.

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Merlin replied flippantly. “What are _you_ doing here?” He looked around A.J. as if expecting someone else to show up at any moment.

“You invited me,” A.J. said. There was no use pretending he hadn’t put two and two together, even if Merlin hadn’t seemed to reach that point yet.

“I invited you?” Merlin started, looking confused, then his face slowly showed dawning realization. “ _Oh my God_ – don’t tell me _you’re_ Red Knight?”

A.J. glared at him. “Only if you don’t tell me you’re Magic Man.”

Merlin threw up his hands. “This is—this is impossible!” he proclaimed. “You _can’t_ be Red Knight!”

“Why can’t I?”

“Because!” Merlin exclaimed, sounding completely exasperated. “Red Knight is... _nice_. And you’re...well, you’re just... _not_.”

A.J. was about to take offence to that but another thought suddenly dawned on him. “God, Merlin,” he said, “am I the guy you have a thing for you think hates you?”

Merlin averted his eyes. “No,” he said quietly.

“I am, aren’t I?” Why hadn’t he realized this before?

Merlin lifted his gaze to meet A.J.’s. “No,” he said more strongly. “It’s some other prat who hates me. I guess I must be a hateable guy.”

“I don’t hate you, Merlin,” A.J. countered. “I never have.”

“Yeah, right. So all those years of you making fun of me, calling me names, tormenting me, humiliating me, that was just – what?”

“It was just my way,” A.J. said softly. He couldn’t bring himself to say it had been his way of dealing with the fact that he liked Merlin, liked him way too much.

“Of what? Being a total ass?” Another bulb seemed to go off in Merlin’s head. “You knew I was Magic Man, didn’t you? Lance probably told you and this is just another way for you to torment me.”

“I didn’t know...”

“I don’t believe you!” Merlin’s eyes flashed with recognized hurt. A.J. couldn’t blame him for not trusting him - he had been a jerk for so long. “I bet you enjoyed those little conversations between Magic Man and Red Knight. Got a kick out of me spilling my guts. God, you’re such a prick!”

“No, I--”

“Get out!” Merlin shouted at him, shocking A.J. with the force of his tone.

“Merlin...”

“Please – just go. I can’t take anymore hurt from you.”

A.J. stared at Merlin for a long moment. He considered telling Merlin all the things he had wanted to tell him for so long now, but seeing Merlin’s jaw clenched, mouth firmly set, and eyes purposely diverted, A.J. figured it would be best to leave things alone for now. So, instead, he did as Merlin asked, and left.

~*~*~*~

Lance was lounging on the couch when A.J. returned to the flat.

“You knew Merlin was Magic Man. Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked him, figuring he might as well get that business out of the way.

Lance shrugged. “I figured it was better you found that out yourself.”

“Well, I did,” A.J. conceded.

“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?”

A.J. shook his head. “Not so much.”

“What did you do?” Lance said accusingly. He usually did take Merlin’s side.

“Me?” A.J. sputtered. “I didn’t do anything. I just showed up. Merlin thinks I knew all along he was Magic Man and that I was getting a kick out of tormenting him.” A.J. sank down on the couch next to Lance. “He called me a prick and told me to leave.”

“Do you blame him?” his friend asked.

“No,” A.J. sighed out then said softly, “He thinks I hate him.”

“You do have a way of expressing your feelings badly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’ve never given Merlin a reason not to think you hate him.”

“Hey, I look out for him!”

“Yeah, but you do it in such a way that it’s impossible for Merlin to get that you actually care about him.”

“I never wanted to hurt him.”

“I know, mate.” Lance clapped A.J. on the shoulder. “Maybe it’s time for you to finally make things right between the two of you.”

“I don’t think Merlin’s too keen on that right now.”

“Give him some time, A.J.,” Lance said. “You’ve been a prick to him for a long time.”

~*~*~*~

A.J. spent the entire next day holed up in his room. There was a lot to process and a lot to think about. 

How could he have not realized Merlin had a thing for him? Now that he thought about it, all the signs had been there. A.J. supposed he had been so busy trying to hide his feelings about Merlin that he hadn’t bothered to take notice of the way Merlin may have felt about him. 

A.J. mentally cursed himself. If he had come to this realization sooner, things might have been different. And now...now it was probably too late. He had done such a good job of keeping Merlin a comfortable distance away that Merlin had no doubt finally given up on him. Hell, Magic Man did say he was letting go and moving on.

During the afternoon, he found himself going online just to see if Magic Man was playing. He wasn’t. A.J. wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed. Either way, he couldn’t bring himself to join Sir Leon and Lady G, not without Merlin.

In the evening, Lance came to check on him.

“Look, A.J., the sooner you admit you’re in love with him,--” Lance started.

“I’m not,” A.J. insisted stubbornly.

He was. A.J. was in love with Merlin, and probably had been since he was about thirteen. It certainly explained the things he felt for Merlin – the tingling, the protective instinct, the feeling of possessiveness, the jealousy.

“Okay,” Lance allowed, sighing. “But you’re not doing yourself any good holing up in your room and pretending you’re not pining over him when you could be doing something about it.”

A.J. shook his head. “Not yet.”

Lance again sighed heavily then quietly closed his door and returned to the living room, letting A.J. brood over his feelings in peace.

~*~*~*~

A.J. was sitting on the couch with Morgan, idling watching TV when Lance showed up with Merlin in tow.

Merlin looked sulkily reluctant, a sure sign that Lance had dragged him here against his will.

“You,” Lance said, pointing at A.J., “and you” now indicating Merlin, “are going to go into A.J.’s room and you’re going to talk about this thing between you.”

A.J. cocked an eyebrow. Merlin continued to sulk.

“And Morgan and I are going to sit out here and wait until you make things right.”

Now Morgan cocked a brow.

“So let’s go.” He pushed Merlin along to A.J.’s room while indicating for Morgan to usher forth A.J.

“This is ridiculous,” A.J. expressed as Lance and Morgan escorted the two over the threshold of his bedroom.

“Maybe so,” Lance agreed, “but it’s about time you two work out this _thing_ going on between you.”

“There’s nothing going on,” A.J. said.

Lance silenced him with a look. “There sure as hell is. There has always been. Figure it out.”

Lance closed the door behind them, leaving Merlin and A.J. alone together.

“So,” A.J. said.

“So.”

Silence.

The silence continued for another four and a half minutes. Merlin appeared to still be sulky and A.J. found himself feeling just a tiny bit guilty knowing he was the main reason for that sulkiness. To break the silence, he remarked, “You know, Merlin, it’s just like you to sulk like this.”

Merlin’s eyes flashed as he rounded on him. “Piss off!” he shouted. “You don’t even know anything about me!” 

“Yes, I do,” A.J. said with sure conviction. He knew Merlin like he knew himself. Merlin rolled his eyes, which had the unmistakable sign of intense emotion building up in them. A.J. continued. “I know you came to Camelot City from a little town called Ealdor. Your father left when you were a baby and your mother raised you all by herself.

You’re a year younger than I am, but you skipped a grade early on because you’re super smart and were advanced. You’re wicked good at science so that’s what you chose to major in, but your favourite subject is history.

You read a lot. You particularly like books about history and mythology. You also love literary classics and are probably the only person I know who has read fucking Shakespeare and the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

You’re into obscure garage bands and you totally love that black _Fuzzbox_ t-shirt you bought from the band’s website, which you wear about ten days out of thirty. You’ll dance to the latest club tunes, though. And you’ll have a beer or cider with the rest of us, but your absolute favourite drink is Diet Coke and two shots of cherry whiskey, which you’ll have when you think no one’s paying attention. 

You like to watch football but you don’t like to play because you think you’re not coordinated enough and lack confidence in your ability. You’re a phenomenal taunter, though, even if it sometimes gets you into trouble.

And, I know you hate movies with animals in them. You say it’s because they’re usually dull, but it’s really because it makes you cry whenever something happens to a helpless animal, even if it’s only a movie.”

A.J. looked intently at Merlin. “Am I hitting anything right so far?” Merlin said nothing, but A.J. could tell he had hit a chord with Merlin. 

“What I didn’t know was that you were into playing online team role playing games or that you were the magnificent Magic Man, though I guess I should have realized this given your fondness for mythology and that you are named Merlin, for godsakes. I know it’s my fault you can’t trust me, but I promise you I wasn’t trying to play at humiliating you.

I know you have a gentle soul, Merlin,” A.J. said softly, “and I don’t want to hurt you anymore. You also have quite a mouth and you use it when you need to.” He moved even closer to Merlin, staring deliberately at his lips, which were parted and quivering slightly. “That mouth has been tantalizing and tormenting me for years and I desperately need to kiss it right now.”

He backed Merlin up against his closet doors and captured his mouth with his, parting his lips and slipping his tongue inside. What sweet pleasure that was. 

Merlin melted into him as A.J. tongue-kissed him, pressing their bodies together. A.J. grabbed the back of Merlin’s neck and pulled his mouth impossibly closer, as Merlin’s tongue invaded his mouth, exploring deeply.

If he had known Merlin would have reacted like this, A.J. would have kissed him years ago.

Keeping their mouths crushed together and tongues entwined, A.J. directed Merlin toward his bed. They lay down on their sides, facing each other, still kissing. Merlin was a fantastic kisser. A.J. could feel the tingle of pleasure all the way to his toes.

When finally their mouths came apart so they could each suck in a breath, A.J. said, “So, Magic Man, how long have you had a thing for me?”

Merlin huffed a laugh. “Always,” he said. “Forever. At least since I first came in, what, sixth grade? You were mean and terrible to me and I still liked you. It just got more intense through high school, even if you didn’t get any nicer.”

“I stopped hoping you’d see me as anything more than a nuisance or an idiot,” he continued. “I just wanted you to like me, A.J. Lance and Morgan – they have always been good friends and have always been there for me. You, well...You made my life a living hell but it didn’t seem to stop me from crushing on you. Talk about being a total masochist.”

“I’m sorry, Merlin.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” He touched Merlin’s cheek. “I’ve been told I’m not very good at expressing my feelings.” A.J. looked intently at Merlin, trying to convey years of repressed emotions. “I’ll give you anything you want, Merlin. Just tell me. Tell me what you want.”

“You,” Merlin said, breathless. “I want you, A.J. I just want you to be mine.”

“I’ve always been yours, Merlin.”

“I really thought you hated me,” Merlin said. “I never imagined...” 

“Me either,” A.J. admitted. “I guess we were both stupid.”

He rolled on top of Merlin, peeling off his shirt in the process. He pulled Merlin’s t-shirt up and over his head, casting it along with his to the floor. A.J. ran his hands over Merlin’s bare chest, then bent his head to trail a line of kisses across it and up to his neck, where he sucked lightly. He heard Merlin catch his breath and rewarded him further with a deep tongue-kiss that left them both breathless.

A.J. licked a path down Merlin’s chest, moving his body down Merlin’s slightly. He cupped a hand against Merlin’s jean-clad crotch, pressing firmly, rubbing gently. A groan escaped from Merlin’s lips and A.J. felt his own cock twitch in response. He popped the button and slid down the zipper then carefully pulled Merlin’s hardening cock out. 

Merlin’s pupils were blown large and dark as his blue eyes searched A.J.’s.

“I owe you for all the years of tormenting I put you through,” A.J. explained, smiling. “I want to see you come for me, Merlin, and I don’t want to be distracted.”

Merlin looked sceptical. He palmed A.J.’s cock, which was hard, through denim. “Are you sure...?”

A.J. nodded. “I want to do this for you, Merlin. I’ll let you do whatever you want to me later, but let me do this first.”

Merlin lay back and surrendered to his hand stroking. A.J. used both hands to stimulate Merlin, one to pump the shaft and the other to tease the cockhead, occasionally touching his lips and tongue to the slit. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. A.J. had played this fantasy out in his head so many times before. He wanted to bring Merlin to ultimate arousal and then send him completely over the edge. And, most of all, he wanted to watch Merlin as he came for him.

A.J. could tell from the look on Merlin’s face and his raspy breathing that he was nearly there. As A.J. worked toward the crescendo, Merlin bucked his hips up, thrusting his cock frantically into A.J.’s pumping hand. He fisted A.J.’s hair with both hands, yanking on the short strands, pulling his head down to him. He breathed out, “God, I’ve wanted this for so long.”

“Come for me, Merlin,” A.J. coaxed, watching Merlin intently. He was painfully hard and the unforgiving denim wasn’t helping any but A.J. would not stop for reciprocating pleasure until Merlin came hard and hot.

“ _Fuck, A.J.!_ ” Merlin cried out, his face contorting into pure ecstasy. He arched, shuddered, then spilled warm over A.J.’s fists and fingers.

A.J. kissed Merlin’s lips as he reached for a handful of tissues to wipe them up. Then he lay next to him and smiled. “You can do whatever you want to me now.”

Merlin returned the smile. “I want to kiss you, but you probably need more than that, yeah?”

“Merlin, I’m so hot for you right now that just kissing would probably do it.”

Merlin tongued his way into and around A.J.’s mouth and, sure enough, about two minutes of that did it. A.J. could feel the hotness of his sticky eruption spreading through the front of his jeans. He probably should have pulled them off, or at least down.

“You weren’t kidding,” Merlin remarked, grinning at him.

They lay side by side, facing each other, legs and arms tangled. There was a quiet knock and then Lance poked his head around the door. “You guys okay?” he asked, then seeing them lying together on A.J.’s bed, bodies close, limbs entwined, he cracked a smile. “It’s about time you two made out.” He called over his shoulder. “Hey, Morgan, come here!”

Morgan’s face appeared in the doorway next to Lance’s. “Ah...” he commented, smiling. “Now that’s a sight we’ve been bloody waiting for about six years to see.”

A.J. threw a pillow at the both of them. “Get lost!” he told them. “Merlin and I are trying to have a moment. Don’t tell me this is what it’s going to be like now that we’re together.”

Merlin stirred in his arms. “We’re together?” he asked, hope in his eyes.

“Of course, you nitwit,” A.J. said, smiling to temper his name-calling. He kissed Merlin full on the lips, slipping his tongue inside his mouth to deepen the kiss. 

Neither A.J. nor Merlin heard Lance and Morgan politely excuse themselves and return to the living room.

 

**EPILOGUE**

“Come on, Merlin, you know I didn’t mean anything by it,” A.J. said as he followed Merlin through the door of the flat.

He gave A.J. a petulant look. “Still, you don’t have to be such a prat,” Merlin said, his momentary anger already slipping away. It was hard to stay mad at A.J., especially when he looked as hot as that.

A.J. grabbed the back of his neck and pulled Merlin’s mouth to his, kissing him.

“What?” Merlin said, pulling away. “You think you can just kiss me and make it all better?”

A.J. grinned smugly at him. “Yep.”

He kissed Merlin again, this time slipping his tongue into his mouth, tangling it with his. Merlin could not help but melt into him.

_Fuck._ He _could_ bloody kiss him and make it all better, Merlin thought.

They tongue-kissed for what seemed like an eternity, then Merlin dragged his mouth to A.J.’s ear. “Want. You. Sex. Now.”

A.J. responded by backing Merlin up toward his bedroom, his mouth returning to claim his.

**

Lance watched as A.J. backed Merlin toward his bedroom, their mouths locked together. They were so into each other that he was sure they were barely aware that he and Morgan, who were sitting on the couch watching TV, were an unwitting audience to their lip play.

Lance was happy that his two friends had finally gotten together. But the thing he hadn’t anticipated – though he should have expected it – was how often A.J. and Merlin could get it on and at any time of the day. He supposed they were making up for all those years they had stupidly lost because neither would admit they were hot for each other.

And it wouldn’t have been so bad, Lance decided, if his bedroom wasn’t right next to A.J.’s. It was hard to get a good night’s rest with the moaning, groaning, and crying out that went on whenever Merlin spent the night – and that was pretty much all the time now.

Lance sighed when he heard the unmistakable sounds already coming from A.J.’s room. Maybe they’d get it out of their systems now and he’d be able to get some sleep tonight.

**

Morgan clicked the volume up on the TV to drown out the grunts and groans.

“I guess we should have expected this once they got together,” Lance commented beside him.

“Um-hmm,” Morgan murmured. “Well, at least _you_ didn’t walk in on them the other day doing it in the kitchen.”

“Really?” Lance said sympathetically.

“Uh-huh,” Morgan replied, easily recalling the scene from a couple of days ago that had nearly blinded him.

He had went into the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge and had found Merlin and A.J. going at it – Merlin up on the counter, A.J. shoved to the hilt inside him, thrusting steadily, both oblivious to anything but each other. The only thing that had prevented his retinas from being totally burned out were the admissions of love being exchanged in between the _‘Oh!’_ s and _‘Fuck yeah’_ s.

“I do have to say, though,” Morgan remarked, half-smiling, “that Merlin is _very_ flexible.”

Lance looked at him and then burst out laughing.


End file.
